• Shortlists have been announced 
• Public voting now open for two prestigious Awards: Team of the Year & Vitality Grassroots Sportswoman of the Year Award

The shortlist of finalists has been confirmed for the 2019 Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards in association with Vitality.

There are six leading contenders for the prestigious Sportswoman of the Year accolade.

The Awards, now in their 32nd year, have led the way in recognising and celebrating the outstanding contribution to sport made by elite performers, coaches, administrators, community volunteers and inspirational women.

And this is the public’s opportunity to vote for their favourite teams and grassroots leaders over the past 10 months.

The top-six shortlist for the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year award includes the following outstanding women: Dina Asher-Smith (Athletics), Lucy Bronze (Football), Bryony Frost (Horseracing), Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Heptathlon), Jade Jones (Taekwondo), and Seonaid McIntosh (Shooting).

Previous winners of the main award include Elise Christie, Sally Gunnell, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Denise Lewis, Dame Kelly Holmes, Zara Tindall, Victoria Pendleton, Christine Ohuruogu and Laura Trott. Dina Asher-Smith was crowned the 2018 Sportswoman of the Year.

The winners will be revealed at a star-studded awards ceremony at the News UK’s London offices on the evening of Thursday November 21st.

The Sportswomen of the Year Awards are among the most prestigious and influential in the British sporting calendar and are supported by the Sport and Recreation Alliance, UK Sport, Sport England and Women in Sport.

This year’s judging panel includes household names Ellie Simmonds, Rebecca Adlington OBE, Chemmy Alcott, Ama Agbeze MBE, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Helen Glover MBE, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Natalie Sawyer, Kelly Holmes, Chrissie Wellington OBE, Victoria Pendleton CBE, and Gabby Logan.

Follow the latest news and get involved by following #SWOTY in the lead up to the Awards.

The shortlist of finalists for 2019:

THE SUNDAY TIMES SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR

The ultimate accolade for your favourite Sportswoman of 2019

Dina Asher-Smith (Athletics) 

Lucy Bronze (Football)

Bryony Frost (Horseracing)

Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Heptathlon)

Jade Jones (Taekwondo)

Seonaid McIntosh (Shooting)

YOUNG SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR

Nominees must have been 21 or younger on January 1, 2019

Sky Brown (Skateboarding)

Jamie Chadwick (Motorracing)

Khadijah Mellah (Horseracing)

Georgia Stanway (Football)

DISABILITY SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR

The outstanding performer in a disability sport

Claire Cashmore (Triathlon)

Charlotte Henshaw (Canoe sprint)

Sarah Storey (Cycling)

Alice Tai (Swimming)

Visit www.sportswomenoftheyear.co.uk to vote for your favourite Team of 2019 and the Vitality Grassroot Award.

Voting closes at 12pm on Monday 18th November 2019.

TEAM OF THE YEAR

Celebrating the achievements of Britain’s successful collective efforts

England football Lionesses team

England netball team

Britain’s modern pentathlon squad

England rugby union team

Europe’s Solheim Cup team

Sailors Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre

VITALITY GRASSROOTS SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD

For individuals who have actively engaged with different groups of people within their community through sport

Carol Bates (Founder, Crawley Old Girls FC, West Sussex)

Bates is the founder of Crawley Old Girls Football Club, a recreational team for women over 30 in Crawley. She set the club up five years ago to create a welcoming and non-judgemental environment for women to take up or return to football. The club has more than 100 members and has inspired other clubs to start up in the area. In summer, Bates organised for more than 200 women to play an old girls’ World Cup in France.

Yvette Curtis (Founder, Wave Wahines surf club, North Devon)

Curtis is the founder of Wave Wahines, a weekly group that aims to get girls into the water to surf and swim. Curtis, a personal trainer and mum of three girls, wanted to provide a welcoming environment for girls aged 9-15 to get involved in surfing, have fun, grow in confidence and get fit. She has also encouraged women of all ages to try the sport for the first time and is described by local mums as a “vital part of the female community”.

Clare Griffin (Manager, West Wight Sports and Community Centre, Isle of Wight)

Griffin is the manager of the West Wight Sports and Community Centre on the Isle of Wight. The centre is used by 1,700 a week and receives no funding from the local authority, which means Griffin has also worked to raise money for the facilities. She became manager of the community swimming pool in the 1980s and continues to teach swimming as well as work shifts as a lifeguard.

Jacqueline Scoins-Cass (Founder and head coach, Thames Valley Kings Wheelchair Basketball club, Berkshire)

Scoins-Cass is the founder and head coach of the Thames Valley Kings, a wheelchair basketball club in Berkshire. She runs the club, which was named the British wheelchair basketball club of the year, entirely on a voluntary basis, and has helped set up other teams across the south of England. She has also raised more than £60,000 to buy specialist wheelchairs. 

Visit www.sportswomenoftheyear.co.uk to vote for your favourite Grassroots heroes.

Voting closes at 12pm on Monday November 18th, 2019.

Winners of the LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD and the HELEN ROLLASON AWARD FOR INSPIRATION will be announced on the evening.